Every one in
the community was so frightened that no one would nurse the boy. Miss
Davidson closed her school and remained by the bedside of the boy
night and day until he recovered. While she was at her Ohio home on
her vacation, the worst epidemic of yellow fever broke out in Memphis,
Tenn., that perhaps has ever occurred in the South. When she heard of
this, she at once telegraphed the Mayor of Memphis, offering her
services as a yellow-fever nurse, although she had never had the
disease.
Miss Davidon's experience in the South showed her that the people
needed something more than mere book-learning. She heard of the
Hampton system of education, and decided that this was what she wanted
in order to prepare herself for better work in the South. The
attention of Mrs. Mary Hemenway, of Boston, was attracted to her rare
ability. Through Mrs. Hemenway's kindness and generosity, Miss
Davidson, after graduating at Hampton, received an opportunity to
complete a two years' course of training at the Massachusetts State
Normal School at Framingham.
Before she went to Framingham, some one suggested to Miss Davidson
that, since she was so very light in colour, she might find it more
comfortable not to be known as a coloured women in this school in
Massachusetts.
Pages:
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129